


I Like Your Kind

by lialin1021



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Explicit Language, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Minor Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongdae | Chen, Minor Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Kim Minseok | Xiumin, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:42:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22411210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lialin1021/pseuds/lialin1021
Summary: Chanyeol does not date, and Jongin does not hook up. But hey, they can still be friends, right?And that is basically all you need to know to realize that this is a disaster waiting to happen.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 27
Kudos: 187





	I Like Your Kind

**Author's Note:**

> Something (not so) short and (hopefully) sweet. Hope you’ll enjoy. Kudos and comments are very, very appreciated!
> 
>  **Note:** This story is a spin-off to [Glass Marble](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15784563) (Baekhyun x Jongdae) and [The Warmth in My Chest](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21891727) (Minseok x Junmyeon)

Everybody thinks that Chanyeol leads a stress-free life. Mainly because he has a cool job in a publishing company in which he earns some decent money. Another reason is that he does not date. He swore off dating many years ago when he was still in college. It is not likely he was badly hurt by some of his ex-boyfriends, not at all. He simply realized that dating is not for him because he is someone whose interests and tastes change very often. He just tends to find things that he likes and focus all of his attention on them until he gets bored or finds something else. That is why he prefers a life of clubbing and one-night stands.

But the truth is that his life can get very stressful. First of all, he takes his job very seriously. He loves what he does, at least most of the time. The fact is though that his job involves a lot of late nights, paperwork, and intense meetings. Plus, it is so difficult to communicate with the writers he works with, sometimes even impossible. Because, let’s face it, most of them do not respect and perhaps even understand the term deadline.

Second of all, being a part of the hook-up culture is not always fun. Sure, he can’t imagine living his life any other way, but it gets so exhausting and stressful. Also, he at least had one of his best friends, Minseok, going clubbing with him until recently. But that all has changed with Minseok finding a new boyfriend. And don’t get him wrong, he wants only the best things for his friend, he definitely does, however, it gets lonely without him. He still tries to accompany Chanyeol when he can but it’s not the same.

So, that is it. That is what people might not understand about his life. And today, both of these things are bothering him. The first issue is that he was in a club yesterday, all by himself, and could not find anyone who would seem even remotely interesting or attractive. That stressed him out a lot. Are all hot gay men getting in relationships? Will he even get laid again at this point?

Questions like that haunted him even this morning on his way to work. He hoped work would somehow bring him peace, but he was wrong. So wrong. He got screamed at by his boss before he could even reach his office because one of his writers had not not submitted a draft for which the office has been waiting for almost a month and which the writer promised to send last night at the latest. And because the editor-in-chief could not reach the writer, he yelled at Chanyeol instead.

Therefore, all those stressful events are why Chanyeol is on his way to the coffee shop downstairs right now. Alone, because his other best friend, Baekhyun, who Chanyeol works with, is too busy to go with him and support him. Traitor.

Anyway, Chanyeol needs some overpriced, delicious, fresh coffee, not that office filth. He also needs to get out and avoid the stares of his boss for a minute because while Chanyeol might be a cheery, easy-going person, these things just get to him. Especially when he knows that he is being scolded for something that is not even his fault.

Fortunately, once he gets to the coffee shop, there are not that many people and he does not have to wait in the line for a long time to get his caffeine fix.

“Hello, what can I get you?”

“Hi. Umm, can I get a double shot caramel latte, please? Oh, and one of those blueberry cookies.” That cookie will be just perfect because he still owes Kyungsoo, their head accountant, for covering for him last week when he sneaked out early from work. “Both to go, thank you.”

As his order is being rung up, he realizes that he has not even noticed which one of the baristas is serving him today. So, he decides to focus a little bit more on the person behind the counter.

Wow. This one is new.

It is some young guy, probably close to Chanyeol’s age but even younger, with dark, soft hair and tanned skin. But the first thing that really catches Chanyeol’s attention is his mouth. Those lips are… wait! Chanyeol has been fascinated by those lips before.

“Oh. Hi.”

The guy looks up from the touch screen cash register with a confused expression.

“Hi?”

Ouch, not being recognized always sucks.

“You’re Junmyeon’s friend, right? I guess we haven’t officially met yet. I’m Chanyeol, Minseok’s friend. We saw each other at the club and also that night in front of Minseok’s coffee shop.”

There is still some confusion present but after a second a visible moment of recognition can be seen on the barista’s face.

“Oh, yeah, I remember. I’m Jongin. Nice to officially meet you.”

“Nice to officially meet you too,” Chanyeol chuckles. “So, how long have you been working here? You must be new because I come here often, and I definitely would have noticed you.”

It is true. Jongin is a very handsome man, and Chanyeol notices those almost without exception.

“Um, yeah, I am, I started this week.”

“That’s great, congratulations! At least from what I’ve observed, it seems like a nice place to work at.”

“It is. Thank you.”

Jongin finally smiles a little bit, which makes Chanyeol basically beam at him in return. After all, Jongin seems like a person who is usually shy around new people, so it makes Chanyeol feel proud that he managed to make some sort of a connection.

Actually, it makes him so proud that he tips Jongin very generously when they belatedly get to the paying part. This earns Chanyeol another gentle smile, and he thinks to himself that the curse that seemed to be put on this day has been broken.

This is later confirmed as he has the chance to watch Jongin when he prepares his order. There is something mesmerizing about Jongin. The way he moves, the expressions he makes. He is almost like a work of art. He is extremely fascinating to watch for some reason, and to be able to see someone so interesting makes Chanyeol’s day definitely a lot better.

“Here you go,” Jongin turns around with Chanyeol’s cup and cookie bag in hand after a few minutes.

“Thank you,” Chanyeol reaches out for both of those, but then he realizes something and takes only the cup. “You know what, keep the cookie for yourself. Take it as a gift from me to wish you good luck at your new job.”

Kyungsoo will never know that there is a cookie which was originally supposed to be for him. And Chanyeol _might_ remember some other time that he should get his friend something for helping him out.

“Wow, that’s so nice of you, thank you.”

“Please, it’s my pleasure. So, I guess I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, you will.”

And with that, Chanyeol returns Jongin one more smile and leaves the coffee shop. It is the right time to do so to seem friendly and perhaps a little interested but not too eager.

Sure, he totally could have asked for Jongin’s number and text him later if he wants to hook up, but there will surely be plenty more opportunities to do that and he feels like it would be a shame to rush this.

Moreover, Chanyeol is not sure what exactly is Jongin’s speed in this area. For now, it is enough that Jongin knows that Chanyeol finds him cute. He couldn’t have missed that with the tip and then the cookie.

Yeah, that was a really nice touch, Chanyeol thinks to himself as he slowly sips his coffee in the elevator, a satisfied grin on his face.

~

“Hey, what’s your friend’s, Jongin’s, deal?”

This question comes out almost unconsciously five days later once Chanyeol is sitting in a bar with his friends and their boyfriends, who are now also his friends, you could say. Well, Jongdae definitely is his friend. Junmyeon is the one he does not know that well yet, but they will get there. Perhaps even right at this moment since Chanyeol has just asked him about Jongin.

“What’s his deal?” Junmyeon appears to be a little bit puzzled by the question.

“Uh-huh. I found out he works in the coffee shop in our building a couple of days ago and I was wondering, you know, what his deal is.”

“Yeah, he told me that he met you there,” Junmyeon says, and it sort of makes Chanyeol feel excited that Jongin mentioned him. It means Chanyeol left some impression. “And about his deal… well, I don’t think he’s your type, actually.”

All that excitement suddenly disappears and is replaced by confusion. “Why not? He’s hot, that’s definitely my type.”

Junmyeon chuckles at that and shakes his head. “Yeah, I get that, but Jongin is not really into hook-ups, like at all.”

“He’s not?” Chanyeol feels like he needs to make sure that he heard right. “But like… how can someone not be into it? Doesn’t it depend on the situation?”

“I guess the same way you can say that you don’t do relationships,” Minseok suddenly chimes in.

“Okay, but that’s different,” Chanyeol blurts out almost immediately, but then he loses a lot of his confidence just as quickly. “Isn’t it?”

“No, it’s completely the same, just on different ends of the spectrum,” this time it is Baekhyun who decides to join the conversation.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Chanyeol nods and sighs.

“Also, Chanyeol, I feel like I need to say this as Jongin’s good friend,” Junmyeon decides to speak up again. “Jongin is an amazing, genuine person, who really deserves only the best for him. So…”

“Let me stop you right there,” Chanyeol quickly intervenes. “I know what you’re trying to say, and I want you to know I would never do that. I always make it clear that I’m not interested in a relationship, and I never lie to people. So, yeah. I might find Jongin cute, but now that I know what I know, I won’t try anything.”

It’s a shame, really. Chanyeol has been looking forward to seeing Jongin again and flirting a little bit, perhaps even making his intentions more obvious. Well, that is now out the window since he would hate to lead Jongin on.

“Okay, good to hear. But you should know that Jongin kept the cookie you gave him as a good luck charm. He was really nervous about the job and you actually kind of made his day.”

Now that is super cute. And intriguing. But mainly cute. “I’m glad. Jongin really does seem like a nice person, so it makes me happy I could help.”

And he means it. It might have been a flirty gesture at that time, but hearing that Jongin was having a tough time, similar to Chanyeol, and Chanyeol was able to help him relax a little bit, truly makes Chanyeol feel all warm and fluffy inside. Which is something he has not experienced in a lot time, at least not with his own experiences. But he decides not to think about it much because that is the right thing to do all things considering.

~

Friday afternoon. Finally.

Chanyeol steps out of the elevator on the ground floor with a gym bag in his hand. He wants to get some exercise before the weekend starts because he will spend both Saturday and Sunday visiting his parents.

He sighs. While he loves his family more than anything, it has been very difficult visiting them since his older sister got married. It is like they suddenly decided that Chanyeol needs some stability in his life as well. So, they keep asking him when he is going to bring some nice man to introduce to the family. Chanyeol obviously mostly just waves it off, but sooner or later he will have to break their heart by telling them that it is not happening anytime soon. Or ever.

“Chanyeol, hi.”

The unexpected greeting interrupts his thoughts. He stops walking and glances around to find the person who greeted him.

“Jongin.” He is surprised to see the young man standing there in the lobby. “Hi. Nice to see you.”

“Nice to see you too,” Jongin says and a hint of smile plays across his lips.

Chanyeol chuckles nervously while thinking of how to continue the conversation. He doesn’t know how to talk the Jongin now that he is not supposed to flirt with him.

“So, where are you headed?” he chooses the most neutral question he can think of.

“I’m teaching a class in a community centre near here.”

“Oh, really? Is it the one right next to the police station?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Cool! I’m headed in that direction too. My gym is right across the street.” And then it hits Chanyeol. It hits him, but he is not sure if it is a good idea. “Do you want to walk together?”

“Sure,” Jongin agrees immediately.

As they leave the building, Chanyeol realizes that it definitely was not a good idea. They know virtually nothing about each other. Normally, it would not be a problem to start a casual conversation, but Chanyeol tends to be charming and flirty in those, which is not the impression he wants to create right now.

His problem would be solved if Jongin decided to speak up first but that does not seem to be happening. Aa, damn it.

“So, what class are you teaching?”

Jongin smiles before he even answers, which shows that he must really love it. “Ballet. For small children.”

“Ballet? You’re a professional dancer?” Chanyeol becomes fascinated right away. Also, it now makes so much sense why Jongin looks so graceful all the time.

“Well, I wouldn’t call myself that,” Jongin replies bashfully. “I’ve danced my whole life but it’s more of a passion.”

“But you teach. It means that you must be good.”

“Not really. I mean I’m fine but it’s far from the level you’re probably thinking of.”

“Oh, I know nothing about ballet, trust me. So if you’re able to do some turns and stand on your toes, I will be impressed and think you’re the best of the best,” Chanyeol grins. “Can you do that?”

“I can,” Jongin answers almost hesitantly.

“See! That means that you are really good. At least in my opinion.”

Chanyeol’s reaction makes Jongin laugh while shaking his head. He looks so cute and pure while doing that, it’s crazy.

“Can I be honest with you?” Chanyeol suddenly blurts out because he has been officially weakened by Jongin’s charms.

Jongin stops laughing and looks at him expectantly. “Sure.”

“You really surprised me. When we first met you appeared to be so intense and intimidating, but you’re actually the complete opposite.”

“Oh,” Jongin breathes out and his face flushes with embarrassment. “That was under special circumstances. I was angry at Minseok because at that time he really hurt Junmyeon and made him upset. Plus, I had couple of drinks in me and felt courageous.”

“I see.” That explanation is so precious that Chanyeol has to resist the urge to ruffle Jongin’s hair. “I feel like I should apologize about Minseok.”

“No, please, don’t,” Jongin intervenes. “It’s all fine now and Junmyeon seems very happy, so it’s all in the past. And Minseok is actually a really nice guy once you get to know him.”

“He sure is.”

It makes Chanyeol feel proud when someone compliments his friends. He obviously knows that he has the best friends in the world, but it is also nice when others recognize that they are good people.

“So, can I be honest with you too?”

Jongin’s question is rather unexpected. What does he want to be honest about? Chanyeol has no idea. He only nods in response and awaits what he is going to find out.

“You really made my day when you gave me the cookie last week.” Oh. Chanyeol knows this. But he puts on a surprised expression so that Jongin does not realize Junmyeon already told him. “I was stressed because I was starting out and I haven’t worked in a coffee shop for quite some time, so I was worried I would be a mess. But when you gave me the cookie, it felt like a sign that everything will be okay, and it helped me relax. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is thank you for making me feel better.”

Jongin’s words are truly genuine, and they touch Chanyeol in an unanticipated way. Wow. Who would have guessed that he could have had such an impact on Jongin.

“Wow, I… I don’t know what to say. I’m definitely glad I could help you relax a bit.”

However, all those positive feelings disappear once Chanyeol realizes that Jongin would probably be really disappointed if he knew what a fuckboy Chanyeol is. And he would never have appreciated the cookie so much if he understood that it was a mere attempt to flirt with him.

Shit. Chanyeol should say something. He should explain to Jongin that he is not some nice person who usually goes around and makes others happy. Sure, he is not a horrible, insensitive monster or anything, but at the same time his intentions are almost never pure.

He does almost voice his thoughts. Almost. What stops him is the fact that he wants Jongin to continue being friendly with him. Not because he has some agenda, not at all. It is just that Jongin is so cool and nice that Chanyeol would like to talk to him more.

“So, this is me.”

Jongin’s words help Chanyeol recognize that they have reached their destination.

“Great. Have fun with the kids.”

“Thank you. Have fun at the gym.”

“Thanks, I’ll try. I need to do something about these,” Chanyeol pats his arms.

“Hm, from what I’ve seen in the club a couple of weeks ago, they already look pretty good,” Jongin says without hesitation. “Bye.”

And he is gone.

Okay… so… what?

What is Chanyeol supposed to do with the information that Jongin noticed his arms? And complimented them? Like… what is that?

And what is worse, after Chanyeol has tried so hard not to flirt too much, Jongin just comes in and basically throws all that out of the window?

Man, this is too much.

On the other hand, perhaps Chanyeol shouldn’t focus on it too much. It could have been a casual compliment, nothing more.

Yeah, that is what it was.

But even with that conclusion, Chanyeol can’t help but think of Jongin when he is lifting the weights. He will show Jongin how good his arms can actually look. And there are no hidden intensions behind it, he simply wants to show him. Yeah, no hidden intensions at all.

~

Chanyeol watches as Jongin successfully walks on the curb, keeping his balance without any problem, and then jumps down and does a small spin on the pavement.

The first time Chanyeol saw it, he was very surprised, but he immediately found it endearing and that feeling has lasted until now. He has also realized that Jongin does this only when he has had a good day or when he is really looking forward to something.

Yes, they have had some time to get closer. In the past three weeks, they’ve discovered that their schedules are kind of similar on some days. They leave the work at approximately the same time and head in the same direction. Thus, it has become basically natural to meet in the lobby of the building where they both work and walk together.

Moreover, Chanyeol has developed the habit to visit the coffee shop during late mornings when there are not that many customers so that he could chat with Jongin more. It brightens his day and makes him get out of the office, so he welcomes it any time he can.

“What are you so excited about?” Chanyeol decides to ask once Jongin does another spin.

“Raeonnie is coming to watch me dance today,” Jongin basically beams with happiness.

Jongin definitely does not need to explain who Raeonnie is. Chanyeol has heard so much about Jongin’s cute little nephew. He even saw some pictures. “Really? That’s great!”

“It is! And then I’m taking him for some cake!” Jongin says with pure excitement. “What are your plans after the gym?”

“Oh, nothing special. I’ll go home and shower and then spend like two hours picking an outfit for tonight. I’m going to Queen with Minseok and Baekhyun after a long time.”

“Really? That’s a coincidence. We’ll be there with the guys too.”

Chanyeol stomach immediately does a flip. Honestly, he should have expected it because when Minseok goes clubbing with him, Junmyeon usually shows up in the same bar with his friends so that they could go home together. But he didn’t even think about it.

And why should that be a problem, you ask? Well, his friends don’t really know that he has been so close with Jongin lately. He does not want to tell them because they would immediately jump to conclusions and Chanyeol is not interested in dealing with that. And it seems like Junmyeon does not know either because he definitely would have told Minseok and Minseok would have said something.

That will all change now.

Sure, he could tell Jongin that perhaps it would be better if they didn’t let the others know about how close they are, but then Chanyeol would have to explain some things that he does not want Jongin to find out about. Like Chanyeol’s track record with one-night stands.

“So, will you save a dance for me?” Jongin looks at him, and Chanyeol’s breath hitches.

“Oh… you don’t want my two left feet close to yours, trust me.”

“Come on, I’m sure it won’t be that bad.”

It will and Chanyeol knows that. But he also knows that saying no to Jongin has become virtually impossible for him.

“Okay. But you have to promise not to laugh at me, no matter what I do.”

“I promise,” Jongin winks at him and does another spin before he jumps on the curb again.

Oh man. Chanyeol is so going to get embarrassed tonight. And in more ways than one, on top of that.

~

The loud music in the club which prevents him to hear his own thoughts. Three shots of tequila downed in the last twenty minutes. The nervousness he has not been able to shake off since he talked to Jongin. A lull in the conversation. Yep, those make up the perfect circumstances in which he can finally tell his friends.

“Guys, I need to tell you something,” he announces.

Both of his friends turn to him before exchanging a suspicious look.

“What’s going on?” Baekhyun is the one to ask. “Your serious expression is scaring me.”

“It’s not serious… it’s… look, I don’t want you to misunderstand, but you should know that lately I have been kind of friendly with Jongin, Junmyeon’s friend.”

“Okay. And what about it?” Minseok tilts his head.

“Wait, you knew?” Chanyeol gasps.

“No. I’m just not sure why you are announcing it like that,” Minseok explains his lukewarm response.

“Well, because… I thought you guys would be on my back about it. Asking if I like him and stuff.”

Baekhyun and Minseok exchange another look. “We could be, but it’s you. We know how you operate. Plus, you seemed pretty determined not to try anything on him the last time we were out with Jongdae and Junmyeon, so I guess we figured that if you say friendly, you mean friendly.”

That’s it? It was this easy to tell them? Chanyeol can’t believe what he’s hearing. He was stressing out about this for completely no reason.

“Good. I’m glad that I don’t have to explain myself.”

“Wait,” Minseok suddenly exclaims. “Did you want us to be on your back about Jongin? Is that why you are so weird about it?”

“No! Not at all,” Chanyeol shakes his head adamantly. “I just thought you would be more surprised and pester me about it.”

“Us? Pestering someone? Please, that could never happen,” Baekhyun says way too theatrically to underline the irony.

“Yeah, what was I thinking,” Chanyeol chuckles. “Okay, now that you know, please don’t say anything when he comes here and we go dancing.”

“Did you mean to say: please, don’t embarrass me in front of my new friend?” Baekhyun teases him, and Chanyeol knows that this is a lost cause.

“And are you trying to say that you ashamed of us? How dare you,” Minseok joins in.

“Sure I am! You usually have the same comments grandparents would have.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Baekhyun shakes his head. “Oh, or are you referring to that one time you were trying to pick up that hot guy with a tattoo sleeve and I said that it was cute how much you had grown up and that I hoped the rest of you will grow one day as well?”

“Yes, I am definitely referring to that,” Chanyeol glares at him. “Although, I fucked him like the next week. It was amazing. So, I guess it worked out in the end.”

“What worked out in the end?”

All three of them jump out of their seats because of that unexpected unfamiliar voice. They then immediately turn their heads to Jongin, who is standing right next to their table.

“Nothing,” Chanyeol blurts out as quickly as possible before any one of his friends can repeat the whole embarrassing story. “Hi. I did not expect you so soon.”

“Well, they usually play the best songs around this time, so we shouldn’t miss the opportunity if we want to dance to something with an actual rhythm.”

“Okay, I did not know that,” Chanyeol laughs. “Oh, I should introduce you to Baekhyun since you haven’t officially met each other yet.”

“It’s really nice to meet you, Jongin,” Baekhyun jumps in, all excited.

“You too,” Jongin gently smiles at him. “I love your pants, by the way.”

The comment makes all people present look at Baekhyun’s tight, leather pants. “Thank you! My boyfriend bought them for me. He says that I should show off my legs more.”

“He’s definitely right about that. I wish I had your legs.”

“Are you kidding me? Your legs are perfect! I wish I had yours! Yours are so long.”

“Yeah, but I sometimes feel they are too skinny.”

“No way! They are just right.”

“You think so? Thank you.”

What is happening? Chanyeol thought that he would just introduce them, but now they are talking about their legs? What is this?

“Of course! Plus, if there’s someone whose legs are too skinny, it’s Chanyeol. They are basically just two long sticks barely supporting his torso.”

What the…?

“You’re right about that. But it explains why he’s so clumsy.”

“Exactly! We’ve been saying that for years now! The same thing goes for his butt, it’s…”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Chanyeol takes action against this madness. “We should go if you don’t want to miss those good songs.”

“Right,” Jongin says with a smile. “We’ll finish this conversation later.”

“Can’t wait,” Baekhyun basically yells after Jongin as Chanyeol is leading him to the dance floor as fast as he can.

Once they get there, he realizes once again, to his deep chagrin, how totally unprepared he is for this. Jongin is a professional dancer, for god’s sake, even though he denies it most of the time. This just can’t end well.

“Don’t be nervous,” Jongin laughs and takes Chanyeol’s hands. “Just do what I’m doing.”

As Jongin starts swaying his hips slowly from one side to the other, Chanyeol thinks to himself that this is not that hard, he can do this. He focuses on the rhythm and sways. Easy.

But then Jongin lets go of his hands and moves closer towards him. What is worse, the movement of his hips changes. It is still swaying, but a completely different style. It goes in all kinds of directions, and Chanyeol knows that his hips will never be able to do that.

“Don’t be so stiff, get loose a little bit. Like this.”

Jongin puts his hands on Chanyeol’s hips and gets close to him even more. So much so that their bodies are almost touching. He also tries to guide Chanyeol’s hips with his hands and it’s kind of working. Chanyeol actually feels like the movement is similar to dancing.

“Okay, now you’re getting it,” Jongin compliments him.

As he says that, he presses his body fully against Chanyeol’s. It makes Chanyeol almost fall out of the rhythm, but Jongin’s hands continue to guide him and do not let him stop moving.

Now that they are basically one body, Chanyeol loses himself in the movement. He no longer thinks about it and just lets Jongin’s hands and hips lead him.

That however gives him the opportunity to think of something else. Like how close they are and how sexual this actually is.

Shit.

He pushes those thoughts to the back of his mind as quickly as he can because focusing on in too much could cause him to do something stupid. And that cannot happen.

He tries to concentrate on the rhythm and the movements again. Fortunately, it works. And he can’t believe how much he is actually enjoying himself.

~

Chanyeol doesn’t know how many songs they have danced to when Jongin leans to his ear and tells him that they should probably go get something to drink.

“I told you that it wouldn’t be so bad, didn’t I?” Jongin compliments him as they leave the crowd and head to the bar.

“You did. But it’s only thanks to you,” Chanyeol smiles at him. “And for that, I owe you a drink. What do you want?”

“Mm, I like that. Gin and tonic, please.”

“Okay.”

As he is moving closer to the bar, Chanyeol remembers that tonight there is that hot bartender that he fucked a couple of months ago. Which was, by the way, probably the best sex of his live. But that is not important right now. The important thing is that while they have seen each other many times since that night, there is still this strange aura between them. Call it sexual tension or wanting to rip each other’s clothes off or whatever, but what matters is that this shit is intense.

Anyway, there’s nothing he can do about it now. Except for not letting it get too obvious.

“Hi. One gin and tonic and one whisky on the rocks, thanks,” he orders and slides the money across the counter.

“Sure,” the bartender says with his sultry voice and gives Chanyeol a piercing look before he takes the money and starts working on the order.

Chanyeol takes a glance at Jongin who does not seem to notice anything, he is just waiting there next to him, leaning against the counter.

And then there is the bartender again, handing him the drinks. “Here you go. Enjoy.”

Chanyeol thanks him and takes the drinks while trying to ignore that extremely penetrating look. No pun intended.

He is glad when he sees an unoccupied high-top table because it means that they can move away from the bar. So he lets Jongin follow him there before he hands him his gin and tonic.

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

“So, what was all the eye fucking?”

Chanyeol almost spits out his whisky. “I’m sorry?”

“You and the bartender,” Jongin laughs. “Come on, you could practically physically feel the tension between you two, it’s so intense. So, it makes me wonder. What’s the deal? Are you just flirting with each other or have you dated or something?”

“None of that,” Chanyeol clears his throat. “We slept together a couple of months ago.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“There is no follow-up?”

“No. I usually don’t do follow-ups to be honest.” And here it is. It was inevitable, but Chanyeol still hoped it would last a little bit longer. “I don’t date. I hook up. That’s it.”

“Okay, so what? You can hook up with him again, can’t you?”

Chanyeol is a bit surprised. He did not expect such a casual approach. Damn, people refuse to react according to his expectations today. “Yeah, but with him, I feel like that if we do it again, it will happen again and again and then it could develop into something different and I don’t see myself in a relationship like that, even if it’s just casual.”

“I see. Well, it’s good that you know how to get your priorities straight,” Jongin smiles at him and he sounds like he really means it.

Chanyeol was worried about nothing again, wasn’t he? He should really stop doing that, all that worrying and stress must be bad for his life span.

“I thought you would judge me.”

‘I’m sorry, what?” Jongin leans it closer because Chanyeol obviously spoke way too quietly for a club setting.

“I said I thought you would judge me.”

“And why did you think that?” Jongin looks at him all confused.

“Because you don’t do stuff like this. And people like you usually judge people like me.”

“Do they? Well, I don’t believe in judging others. Everybody should do what suits them best. If you feel good about your life, nobody should force you to change it.”

Chanyeol sometimes can’t believe what a good person Jongin is. “You’re right.”

“But how do you know I don’t do hook-ups? We’ve never talked about it.”

Well, Chanyeol ran right into that one, didn’t he?

“Junmyeon mentioned it once,” Chanyeol says and hopes Jongin won’t ask for any details.

“Okay. That seems about right,” Jongin chuckles. “You see, my friends think it is kind of strange that I usually don’t hook up with other people. Because for them, it’s completely normal. All of them have hooked with each other at some point, expect for me. Well, except Taemin, but that’s different because we dated for like four years.”

“You are still friends with your ex?” Chanyeol knows he sounds way too shocked, but he can’t help it.

“Yes, I am. The break-up was mutual, and we stayed friends.”

That doesn’t make it less weird, Chanyeol notes in his head. He does not judge, he just thinks it’s rather unusual. “And why did you break up, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“We drifted apart. There was simply no spark anymore, and we both felt it,” Jongin looks at the ground, his cheeks all flushed from the alcohol. “Although, sometimes I think there was no spark to begin with.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because we went from being friends to being boyfriends almost automatically. There was no desire, no urgency. And it was nice, but it was missing something. Probably the fact that people have to struggle a bit to feel and appreciate love.”

Chanyeol doesn’t know what to say. He has probably never felt any kind of romantic love, so it is hard for him to relate to that. Although, he understands the sadness that comes with it.

“Oh, my friends are going for a smoke and waving at me to come with them. Do you mind if I leave you for a second?”

“Not at all, I should get back to my friend as well,” Chanyeol says, completely missing the fact that Jongin wanted to come back to him. “And you smoke?”

“Me? No. I don’t. It’s just them and only when they go drinking. But I go with them to get some fresh air,” Jongin explains.

“Mm, that seems more like you. I thought it would be strange. Okay, so have fun and we’ll see each other on Monday?”

Jongin hesitates for a second. He obviously does not know whether to tell Chanyeol that he thought he would join him again after he comes back. In the end, he decides against it. He should let him enjoy his friends. “Yeah, have fun as well and see you.”

Chanyeol watches Jongin as he joins his friends and they all head out outside. After all the dancing, close proximity, and talking, the sudden absence of Jongin makes him feel lonely for some reason. And it also causes him to yearn for some human touch.

The moment he realizes that, he feels a pair of eyes fixed on his back. Of course, he cannot feel them physically, but he knows they are there. He knows they are watching him closely. And he also knows that this might not be the type of physical contact that he needs the most, but it will have to suffice.

~

“Damn, you fucked me so good. I felt every inch of you.”

Chanyeol only hums in response since he is still trying to catch his breath. He went hard on that bartender, but the guy obviously enjoyed it and even kept asking for more. Damn, Chanyeol is going to be so sore the next day.

Anyway, it is time to leave.

As he gets up and starts looking for his clothes, the bartender turns to him: “You’re leaving? I thought I could blow you in the morning.”

“Thanks, but I should really get going.”

“Okay,” the guy says, clearly puzzled by the rejection. “Is this about the guy I saw you with? And don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind that you are using me to forget about him if you get me off this good. I’m just asking.”

Chanyeol shakes his head as he puts on his pants. “It’s not like that. There’s nothing to forget. We’re just friends.”

“If you want to keep telling yourself that, that’s fine by me. But if you want to forget that you are not getting any from him again, I’m here to help.”

Is that really it? No, it can’t be. Chanyeol likes Jongin, that is true, but only as a friend. He also finds Jongin attractive, but because he knows that Jongin is not interested in meaningless sex, he looks for it somewhere else. It is as simple as that. There’s nothing to forget, nothing to be sad about.

“That’s nice of you, but there’s really no need.” Chanyeol checks that he has everything he needs, including his wallet and keys. “Anyway, I had fun.”

“Me too. We should do this again some time.”

“Sure,” Chanyeol responds half-heartedly as he leaves the bartender’s bedroom and heads out.

~

“Hey, Park Chanyeol! Are you even listening to me?”

Chanyeol gets immediately startled. Was he listening? Probably not. But what was he thinking about instead of listening?

Oh no, this is it, this is the first sign of an old age.

“I’m sorry. Can you repeat it for me, Kyungsoo?”

The head accountant gives him one of his infamous death stares. “No, I can’t. Because it would be useless to repeat the whole ten minutes of me explaining to you why hiring a more expensive cover designer is impossible on our current budget. So, I’ll just give you the conclusion: there’s no way we can do that. Period.”

Chanyeol is ready to argue but doesn’t get the chance as he realizes something. “Wait, I asked for a different cover designer?”

“Are you high?” Kyungsoo deadpans. “You literally called me to your office to discuss that.”

“Oh.” What is happening to him? “Right.” And then he finally remembers. “I know why I did that! I was looking at the designs and I didn’t like any of them.”

“So? Just tell the designer to prepare new ones.” Kyungsoo gives him another look, but this time it is full of worry instead of anger. “Are you okay? You seem really out of it.”

“I’m fine. Just tired I guess.”

Kyungsoo hums even though it is obvious he doesn’t buy it. “Do you want to get some coffee then? And maybe something sweet in the coffee shop downstairs? My treat.”

The coffee shop. That’s… and then Chanyeol realizes what he was thinking about instead of listening to Kyungsoo rambling about numbers.

For some reason, he remembered what the bartender said about Jongin. And about Chanyeol trying to forget Jongin. Overall, it still makes no sense. Chanyeol does not believe this is the case. However, he has to admit that when he and Jongin were dancing so close, it sparked something in him. It could probably be described as a longing for proximity and intimacy. And he hasn’t been able to get rid of it since.

Yes, those were the thoughts and feelings that distracted him. But they also reminded him how much he wants to see Jongin.

“Okay, let’s do that.”

“Great. You’ll feel better after we get some caffeine and sugar into you, don’t worry.”

“Hopefully,” Chanyeol chuckles.

As the duo heads to the elevator, Kyungsoo decides to switch from their previous work conversation to a more casual one: “So, how was your weekend? I heard from Baekhyun that you went to a club on Friday. I suppose that you spent the next two days recovering then, as per usual?”

Chanyeol pushes the elevator button. “Yeah, something like that.” He did need to recover, but not because of what Kyungsoo was thinking. He had to recover from not finding what he needed in a bed with a stranger after a long time. “What about you?”

The elevator stops on their floor and they get in.

“I spent the whole weekend at Seojin’s parents.”

Chanyeol can sense the despair in his voice. It is quite familiar. “Did they keep asking you again when you’re finally going to get married?”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo sighs. “But this time they added children to the mix.”

“Ouch,” Chanyeol winces. “Man, they probably think that if they add more pressure, it will finally force you to do what they want you to do.”

“Probably,” Kyungsoo shrugs as they get off the elevator.

Chanyeol does not say anything else. The only thing he can focus on is seeing Jongin behind the counter through the glass wall.

“Hello,” Jongin greets them the minute they step into the coffee shop since there are almost no customers around, definitely no waiting in line. “How can I help you?” he then adds once they approach the counter.

“Hello. We’d like two Americanos, please.” Kyungsoo has obviously decided what to order for both of them and Chanyeol is too distracted by Jongin’s especially soft hair to actually care. “And what dessert would you recommend for my friend who needs a lot of sugar to kickstart his brain?”

“Well, that’s a good question.” Jongin puts on his thoughtful expression. “What about chocolate banana muffins? I tested them this morning and I can guarantee a sugar rush.”

“Sounds perfect. We’ll take two, please.”

Chanyeol can only watch as Kyungsoo pays and Jongin tells them to go sit down because he will bring the order to their table once it is ready since there are not that many customers. Kyungsoo then thanks Jongin for being so nice and pushes Chanyeol in the direction of a table near the window.

Once they sit down, he decides to announce something that Chanyeol has never expected to hear from him: “That barista is cute, right?”

“In your straight opinion?”

“Yes, in my straight opinion,” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “Anyway, I thought it was the explanation as to why you’ve been going here so often lately.”

“It’s not like that.” Chanyeol truly can’t believe he has to clarify this for the second time in only a few days. “He’s my friend.”

“Really? Mine too.”

What?!

“What?!”

Before Kyungsoo can react in any way, Jongin approaches their table with a smile on his lips and places down their two coffees and muffins. “Here you go. Hope you’ll…”

“You two know each other?!” Chanyeol doesn’t even give Jongin the chance to finish his sentence.

“We do.” Chanyeol can’t believe Kyungsoo has the audacity to laugh. “Jongin dated my roommate in college. And he actually introduced me to Seojin.”

“He did?”

This is getting too much. How well do they actually know each other?

“Yes, I did,” Jongin confirms. “We were in the same dance club, and I knew she would be absolutely perfect for Kyungsoo. I guess I was right.”

“You’re always right about these things,” Kyungsoo notes. “Jongin has something like a romantic slash emotional sixth sense. He’s incredibly perceptive when it comes to compatibilities and feelings.”

All of a sudden, Chanyeol feels completely exposed. Like Jongin can look deep into his soul and find out things that even Chanyeol does not know about. It scares the shit out of him.

“That’s definitely an exaggeration. I just notice things, that’s all,” Jongin waves it off. “Anyway, enjoy the coffee and the muffins, I need to go back.”

Sure, it must have been an exaggeration, right? There is no way that Jongin is that perceptive. It is probably something like a fable in his friend circle.

This helps Chanyeol calm down a little bit.

But then he comes to realize something… and here go the nerves again.

“Kyungsoo, you really thought I went here because I’m interested in Jongin?”

Chanyeol has to remind himself to breathe.

“I did. I could imagine you liking someone like Jongin,” Kyungsoo says honestly. “I also thought it would cheer you up if we went here and I introduced you two. I had no idea that you’re already friends.”

Introduce? So this was not about caffeine and sugar? It was about Jongin? “That’s nice of you, but I’d like to remind you that I don’t date.”

“I remember that, don’t worry.” The way Kyungsoo says it indicates that it is not something he particularly agrees with, but at the same time he does not judge Chanyeol for it. “You know what, forget I said anything. I completely misunderstood the situation.”

Kyungsoo did misunderstand, didn’t he? Chanyeol is sure he did.

Bud did he really? After all, Jongin is the reason Chanyeol has been coming here so much in the past few weeks. However, everything has been just friendly between them (if you don’t count the first time). That is where Kyungsoo misunderstood.

Or…? No! No. He did, he definitely did. Chanyeol knows that.

But then he glances at Jongin and he is not so sure anymore. Because the way he feels about Jongin is something completely new for him. And he has no idea how to deal with it, how to describe it, or how to understand it.

Could it simply be a really good friendship? Totally. Could it be some form of friendship mixed with sexual tension? Even more likely. And could it be a romantic interest in any way?

Well…

Damn.

It could, it probably could.

~

Later that day, Chanyeol shuffles around the lobby while nervously playing with the shoulder strap on his gym bag.

He is waiting for Jongin because today is one of those days when their schedules match up and they can walk together after work.

Normally, he would be thrilled about it, but after what he realized earlier, he’s not even sure he will be able to look Jongin in the eyes and that makes him pretty nervous.

Now, it is important to remember that it’s not like Chanyeol really thinks that he is interested in Jongin. He simply realizes that it is one of the possibilities. Nothing is set in stone. He might just need some time to figure out what’s actually going on in his head. It’s been a long time since he was this concerned about his emotions, so he has no idea how to approach this issue.

He figures that he shouldn’t push it though. It might all be just a phase or something.

Or not, he thinks as he sees Jongin walk into the lobby and head right in his direction.

“Hi!”

Jongin’s whole demeanour is so bright that Chanyeol wonders if his own current gloominess stands out even more in comparison. “Hi. Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Jongin gives him a radiant smile. “Sorry I was a bit late, I had to deal with an annoying customer before I could leave.”

“Really? You seem way too happy for someone who has just had to talk to a crazy person.”

“Well, I decided that I’m not letting one person ruin my otherwise completely fine day,” Jongin chuckles and shakes his head. “I was really close to telling her off though.”

“She was that rude, huh?”

“Yeah. But let’s not talk about that anymore. How has your day been?”

Chanyeol clears his throat as he tries to remember what happened apart from his inner emotional turmoil. “It started off kind of rough but once Kyungsoo got some coffee in me, I was at least able to coherently speak again.”

“I see,” Jongin laughs. “By the way, I had no idea you were close to Kyungsoo. I mean, I knew you worked in the same company, but it never occurred to me to mention him because I thought you wouldn’t have known him.”

“I guess that was a fair assumption. Normal people don’t remember their company’s accountant’s names.”

“That’s exactly what I thought!” Jongin exclaims.

“And you were right. If it wasn’t for Baekhyun crushing on Kyungsoo for the longest time, I probably wouldn’t remember his name either. But things happened and it got us closer together,” Chanyeol chuckles.

“Baekhyun had a crush on him? But…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, Kyungsoo is obviously straight. Baekhyun is really dense when it comes to things like this. Which is something that you can remind him if you ever want him to shut up. And you’ll need it, now that you two have met. There will be a time when he will come up to you and won’t stop talking and you’ll thank me for giving you this information.”

“I’ll remember that, thanks,” Jongin laughs brightly. “Which reminds me, when I was leaving on Friday, I noticed that Baekhyun was gone and you were sitting at the bar alone. Was there anyone special you were waiting for?”

Chanyeol hates that Jongin says it in such a playful way. It’s like he doesn’t even care… well, not that he should, but… oh my god, Chanyeol needs to stop thinking.

“Yeah, something like that.”

“It was the bartender, wasn’t it?”

Shit. That’s exactly what Chanyeol didn’t want.

“It was. Look, I know I said I didn’t want to sleep with him again, but…”

“Please, you don’t have to explain anything to me,” Jongin nudges him a little bit with his elbow. “You felt like having a fun night and you did. You should feel happy, not explain yourself. People like me who put on their stretched-out pyjamas and fall asleep while watching a movie after coming home from a club should be the ones explaining themselves.”

What the hell? How cute is that? The image of Jongin in adorable pyjamas that are too big for him sends Chanyeol’s head spinning.

Before he can pull himself together and say something, they are near the place where they usually say goodbye.

“Chanyeol, what are you doing after the gym?” Jongin suddenly asks.

“Nothing, why?”

“I thought we could get some dinner together. I’ll be done at 7, so I don’t know if…”

“No, that works just fine!”

“Great!” Jongin’s face immediately lights up. “So you’ll pick me up at 7 at the centre?”

“Okay, sounds good.”

~

Chanyeol steps into the building and looks around.

When Jongin said to pick him up, he probably meant that Chanyeol would wait for him outside. But Chanyeol simply can’t miss the opportunity to see Jongin dance.

It might not be as easy as he thought though. He bites his lips as he tries to come up with an idea how to find the room where Jongin teaches.

Luckily for him, faint music reaches his ears, and while he might not recognize the song, he can tell that it is something you would dance ballet to.

He smirks and follows the sound. It slowly leads him to the end of the hall, and he thanks all gods that the door that leads to the gym from which the music is playing is made of glass.

The first thing he notices is of course Jongin who is towering over the children. The second thing is Jongin’s close-fitting leotard. Well damn.

But right after that comes a moment when Jongin demonstrates some move to his students, and Chanyeol can’t help but be mesmerized.

How does a human being move so elegantly?

How can anyone have a body that is the epitome of grace?

Those are the questions Chanyeol needs answered. Now.

_Knock, knock._

Chanyeol startles and almost trips over his own feet as he quickly moves away from the door.

“What the…”

There is a small girl standing at the other side of the door, watching him intently. And before he can run away or gesture to her to keep quiet, Jongin emerges right behind her.

At first, he looks confused but then he spots Chanyeol standing awkwardly in the hallway and opens the door right away.

“Chanyeol! You came early! Do you want to come in and watch us finish practice?”

“Sure,” Chanyeol says but there’s nothing that would indicate being sure in his voice.

Jongin beams and gestures to him to come inside.

And Chanyeol does. He shuffles his feet and tries to ignore the fact that around fifteen children have their eyes fixed on him.

“Listen, guys, this is Park Chanyeol, my friend. He has heard what good students you all are and decided he needs to see it for himself. So, show him your best!”

Chanyeol immediately turns to Jongin, who simply winks at him and steps aside. What is happening?

But he doesn’t have to wait for the explanation for long.

All of the children surround him within a few seconds, and immediately start balancing on their toes, spinning, hopping.

Simultaneously, they shout his name, and all ask him to look at them, which is literally impossible, because he has only one pair of eyes and he cannot pay attention to all of them at the same time.

Sure, he tries to turn his head as quickly as he can and give as many compliments as possible, but only after a minute, the children seem to be multiplying or something and he can’t keep up.

He looks for their teacher, hoping he would save him, but Jongin simply stands aside, watches the mayhem consume Chanyeol, and laughs his ass off.

~

“That was surreal.”

They are on their way to have dinner, but Chanyeol still hasn’t fully recovered. He can’t stop feeling like there are children running around him, and his head spins.

“I’m glad you had fun,” Jongin chuckles and nudges Chanyeol a little bit. “They loved you, by the way.”

“Oh, I could tell. I got like four marriage proposals in five minutes.”

“You almost got five. But Naeun was too shy to talk to you, so she just told me that you look like a prince and that she wants to marry a prince like you one day.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Chanyeol literally coos.

“It is. And it was fun to see that you certainly have your way with the ladies.”

“I know I do,” Chanyeol chuckles. “It’s a shame, really.”

“Please, you’re saying that as if there wasn’t anyone interested in you other than that.”

“There is?”

“Very funny,” Jongin rolls his eyes. “Sure, you are the epitome of a gay dream, and there are absolutely no people who appreciate that.”

Chanyeol smirks. Now that never gets old. “Why, thank you.”

“You’re the worst,” Jongin shakes his head, but it is obvious that he’s trying really hard not to laugh. “By the way, we’re here.”

When Jongin said they would be eating at his favourite place, Chanyeol had no idea it would be a tiny chicken restaurant. Not that he’s complaining, he loves chicken, but for some reason he expected some healthy choice. Similar to a place his friend Minseok would choose and Chanyeol would absolutely hate.

This is a nice surprise.

As they walk in, they are immediately greeted by some older woman who obviously recognizes Jongin and seems happy to see him. They exchange a few friendly words, and Jongin orders two beers and one fried and one seasoned chicken.

“Just so you know, it’s my treat,” Jongin tells Chanyeol when they finally sit down.

“Wait, why?”

“Because I almost let you get swallowed by a swarm of children for my own entertainment.”

“For your own entertainment?” Chanyeol blinks.

“You bet! First of all.” Jongin shows one finger. “It was hilarious to see a giant like you be surrounded by teeny-tiny human beings and look intimidated. And second of all.” He shows another. “Your panicked expressions were entertaining as hell.”

“You’re evil,” Chanyeol whispers, his already big eyes wide open.

Jongin just laughs, shaking his head, and all of Chanyeol’s arguments are out of the window once he sees the way his soft hair bounces on his forehead. No evil person could look this way.

He almost opens his mouth to say something, but fortunately he is saved by the older woman who brings them their food and beers.

Right after they both thank her and she leaves, Jongin suddenly leans across the table and looks Chanyeol straight in the eye. “Park Chanyeol, you’re about to eat one of the most delicious chickens in the world. So, after you do so, I don’t need to know if you like it. I need you to tell me how much you love it. Understood?”

Chanyeol nods.

He looks down at the plate and slowly takes one of the pieces of the fried chicken.

He glances back at Jongin. Jongin is still staring at him.

Okay, here it goes.

“Oh my god.”

“I know.”

“I love it so much!”

“Okay, but how much?”

“So much that I worry I may never be able to love anything again. All will pale in comparison to this.”

Jongin smiles. “You’re worthy of the chicken, you may continue eating.”

Chanyeol knows that Jongin is not joking at all. He takes it super seriously but that makes it even funnier and more adorable.

“You’re really one of a kind, aren’t you?”

“Me?” Jongin says with a mouth full of chicken. “Doesn’t that apply to everybody?”

“Yeah, I guess it does. Maybe I just like your kind.”

“I like your kind too.”

And at that moment, Chanyeol’s heart skips a beat.

He doesn’t say anything though. He smiles and watches Jongin smile back at him. And then they simply continue eating the delicious chicken.

~

“I’m so full, I don’t think I can ever move again.”

“That would be unfortunate. You did really well on the dance floor on Friday.”

Chanyeol blushes and buries his face in his giant hands. “Please, don’t remind me.”

“Why not? Yes, you were stiff at first, but once I touched you and guided you, you became so pliant and moved to the rhythm. It was one of the best dances I’ve had in a club.”

“Do you often dance with guys?” Chanyeol asks because he’s interested and also because he wants to divert attention away from his own dancing.

“I used to. Not so much anymore because I don’t like it when they try to make it more sexual than it needs to be.”

“Like when they touch you?”

“Yeah. But not just that. I guess it is just a feeling, but sometimes I can sense from the way they dance that while we’re dancing, they’re thinking about sex. And it makes me uncomfortable for some reason.”

Damn. Now Chanyeol feels bad. Because it did cross his mind when they danced together.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing! It is completely natural to think about sex when you’re so close to another person. But for me, sex is something very private and intimate. I don’t feel comfortable being so physical with someone I’ve known for less than ten minutes.”

“That’s interesting. I can’t imagine what that feels like though.”

“Yeah, most people can’t,” Jongin chuckles. “Junmyeon once asked me if I thought I was demisexual. But it’s not like that. I get attracted to people easily. It just takes a minute before I feel comfortable enough to be sexual.”

“I see.”

Yeah, Chanyeol cannot relate at all.

“So, what’s been the least amount of time between meeting someone and fucking them for you?”

Chanyeol almost chokes on his own spit. He quickly looks around to check if there’s anyone listening to them. It doesn’t seem like it, and there are quite a lot of people talking loudly, so no one should be able to overhear their conversation.

“I don’t know. Five minutes?”

“Five minutes?! How did that happen?”

It feels weird that Jongin is so interested in his sex life. And not in a good way.

“Long story short, I bumped into him, he told me I was hot, I told him that I wanted to fuck him good, we went to the bathroom and I fucked him immediately in a stall against the tiles.”

“But how…?”

“He’d had a plug inside before.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Was it good?”

What’s up with all these questions? First he asked him about the bartender and now this.

“Yeah. I mean… it was sex.”

“So? Sex can be bad.”

“Sure. But I guess even bad sex is better than no sex at all.”

“Hmm,” Jongin hums. “What’s the best sex you’ve ever had?”

Chanyeol clears his throat. “Probably the first time I slept with the bartender.”

“The second time was not good?”

“No, it was good. Great, actually.” Chanyeol really does not want to remember, especially because of what happened afterwards. “What about you?”

“Hmm?”

“Your best sex.”

“I feel like I’m still waiting for mine.”

Chanyeol does not know how to feel about that. On one hand, it is said in this mysterious way that makes Chanyeol sweat. On the other, there is some definite melancholy in Jongin’s words.

“Don’t look like that at me. It’s a good thing. It means the best is still out there.”

Yes, it is.

“You know, I could be…”

Shit. No. No, no, no.

“You could be what?”

No. Don’t say anything. Just shut up. Shut up! Please, don’t say a word.

But you have to say something. Shit.

“I could be your matchmaker. I could help you find someone.”

Nice save.

“What do you mean by that?” Jongin looks intrigued.

“Well, perhaps we would go to a club, scan the situation, focus on new people. Something like that.”

“You know what,” Jongin takes a sip of his beer. “That actually sounds fun. I’m in.”

Wait, what? No. No, no, no. This is even worse.

“Great.”

“Okay, so let’s not any waste time. Are you free this Friday?”

~

Chanyeol rests his forehead on the buzzer to Baekhyun’s building.

He knows it’s kind of late, but he does not care.

“Park Chanyeol, what the fuck, get our stupid head off the buzzer and then your ass up here!”

Oh, Chanyeol’s forgotten that Baekhyun’s building has one of those doorbell cameras. Fancy.

As he makes his way up, he wonders whether he shouldn’t have waited till tomorrow. He could talk to Baekhyun at work. But then again, he feels like he needs someone now. Right at this moment. And Minseok is having a sleepover at Junmyeon’s, which is a little thing Chanyeol found out from Jongin.

Jongin.

Shit.

“Have you gone completely mad?!”

Chanyeol mumbles an almost incoherent sorry as he walks past Baekhyun, who is in his pyjamas, into the apartment. He then slumps on the sofa and groans.

“I’ve fucked up.”

“You’re going to have to be more specific than that,” Baekhyun closes the door and goes sit right next to his friend.

Chanyeol sighs. “You know what, it’s nothing, forget about it,” he waves it off.

“Oh, come on! Just tell me what happened. You didn’t come here at this hour for nothing.”

“I came here because I needed to complain about what an idiot I am.”

“So complain, by all means!” Baekhyun wraps Chanyeol into a small hug. “And if you don’t want to tell me what happened, it’s fine.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol breathes out. “I’m an idiot.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I don’t think before I speak.”

“True.”

“And I get attracted to people even if I shouldn’t.”

Baekhyun stops stroking Chanyeol’s shoulder for a moment and looks up at him. “That doesn’t make you an idiot. You can’t help who you get attracted to.”

“But I wish I could. It sucks when you look at someone you want and you can’t get them.”

“That has never bothered you before,” Baekhyun wrinkles his brow. “You’ve always said that there are plenty of other, probably better people.”

“Yeah. But this feels different.”

Chanyeol can feel how Baekhyun itches to ask if this is about a specific person, but he is holding back because he doesn’t want to force Chanyeol into sharing more than he wants.

“Go ahead. Ask.”

Baekhyun bites his lip and starts gently stroking Chanyeol’s shoulder again.

“Is this about Jongin?”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol bows his head. “I promised I’ll help him find someone to date or whatever. How stupid is that?”

“Pretty stupid,” Baekhyun acknowledges. “But why did you do that?”

“Well.” Chanyeol is about to feel even more like an idiot. “I almost suggested to him that we could have sex with each other, so then I had to come up with something else that would cover that up.”

“Oh no.”

“Exactly.”

Now that Chanyeol thinks about it, he would have been better off just telling the truth. Damn it.

“But you are simply attracted to him, right? Nothing more?”

Yeah, that’s another problem. “I don’t know. I haven’t figured that out yet.”

“I see.” Baekhyun expression tells Chanyeol that does not know how to process that new information. And Chanyeol doesn’t blame him. This has never happened before. “Well… I guess you could try to figure it out before you set him up with someone else?”

“I could. But I don’t think it matters.” Chanyeol starts fiddling with the sleeve of Baekhyun’s pyjamas. “Jongin sees me only as a friend.”

“Are you sure about that?” Baekhyun tilts his head. “When I saw you two dancing, it certainly didn’t look like it.”

“But it was like that. Look, I don’t mind being only friends, I just need to figure out how to handle this whole thing.”

“Okay,” Baekhyun nods. “And whenever you need to talk to me about it, I’m here. You know that, right?”

“I do. Thank you,” Chanyeol smiles at his best friend.

“But maybe next time try to press the buzzer like a normal person.”

~

Jongin wants him dead.

There is no other explanation.

Why else would he decide to dress like that?

Okay, so it is not like he’s wearing anything special. It is just a simple white t-shirt tucked in black ripped skinny jeans and Converse high-top sneakers.

But it looks so good on him!

How does casual fashion look like that on anybody?

“Hi!”

Jongin appears to be very excited about the premise of tonight. Chanyeol kind of hates that but can’t help but give Jongin a smile since he’s so cute when he’s all enthusiastic and stuff.

“Hi. You look good.”

“Really?” Jongin lights up. He then proceeds to spin around to show the outfit in its full glory, which only makes Chanyeol aware of how perfectly those jeans fit Jongin’s ass. “Thank you! It’s just something casual though.”

“Yeah, but it looks good.” Kill Chanyeol now. “Hey, how about we get some drinks and then scan the situation?”

“Perfect!”

It takes them a couple of minutes to buy their drinks and find the right spot which would give them a good view of the whole club. The place is completely packed with people, so the movement and its speed are a bit limited.

Chanyeol leans on the rails, which surround the first-floor bar area, and looks down to the dance floor. Man, it won’t be a problem to meet someone here tonight.

“So, how do we even start?” Jongin says and takes a sip of his drink. “I’ve never really done this.”

“You’ve never done this?” Chanyeol’s probably more shocked than he should be.

“No, never. I guess I’ve always met my partners without thinking of them as potential boyfriends. I’ve never deliberately tried to meet someone.”

“So why start now?”

“Well, when you brought it up, it sounded fun. And I’ve been single for some time now. It’d be nice to meet someone new.”

Shit. Chanyeol really brought this upon himself. If he’d kept this mouth shut, this wouldn’t be happening. Way to go.

“I see.” He clears his throat. “Okay, I think we should probably start with you saying what’s your type.”

“Hm,” Jongin hums as he drinks his gin and tonic. “Someone who likes animals, is family oriented and kind and also passionate and funny. Oh, and there should be a lot of topics we can talk about.”

“That’s nice, really nice,” Chanyeol nods. Is it just him or does he fit all of those categories? “But I meant it more appearance-wise. You can’t really guess how family oriented someone will be based on one glance.”

“Right,” Jongin chuckles. “Appearance-wise… hm, I really like taller guys. It’s not like they have to be taller than me, but it certainly doesn’t hurt when they are.” Interesting, very interesting, Chanyeol thinks to himself. “I also like big eyes. Especially dark and deep. But also bright and lively.” Okay, check. “And a nice, big smile.” Check again. “That’s it.”

“Great. Now we have something to work with.” Chanyeol almost can’t contain how ecstatic he feels right now. He wants to start jumping up and down like a little kid.

Of course, it shouldn’t matter that he perfectly fits Jongin’s type. But it sure feels good.

“Yeah, but it’s not like it’s important.”

“Sure, you prefer the beauty on the inside, I get it,” Chanyeol laughs. “You know, it’s not bad to be attracted to someone based on how they look. It’s natural.”

“I know that,” Jongin rolls his eyes because he feels like he’s being lectured. “All I’m saying is that someone’s personality and values are much more important.”

“True,” Chanyeol shrugs. “But you don’t want to fuck someone just because you like their personality.”

Jongin opens his mouth to reply and he closes it again. He then takes another sip of his drink while looking at the dance floor below them.

“That might be true. However…”

“No, no however,” Chanyeol shakes his head. “Sure, we are looking for a boyfriend, not a one-night stand. But you should want to fuck your boyfriend. And to really want to fuck someone, you must find him hot. That’s how it works.”

It seems like Jongin still wants to protest but decides against it in the end. “Fine. You win.”

Chanyeol grins and slightly nudges the defeated Jongin with his elbow. At first, Jongin pretends not to notice. So Chanyeol does it again. And again. And again.

“Okay, okay, let’s stop that,” Jongin tries to move away from him while laughing.

Chanyeol laughs as well and grabs Jongin arm to stop him. But since Jongin continues to move backwards, he decides to pull him closer. Only he does not assess his strength accurately and Jongin suddenly ends up crashing against Chanyeol’s chest.

“Oh, sorry!” Chanyeol exclaims, worried that he somehow hurt Jongin.

“It’s fine,” Jongin assures him, giggling and not moving away. And then, as the giggles fade out, he says: “You smell really nice, by the way.”

Damn. What kind of romantic novel is this? Chanyeol is not used to moments like that. What the hell is he supposed to do?

“Umm… thanks?”

“You’re welcome.” Jongin finally pulls away. “Oh, and there’s another thing that fits my type.”

“Really? What?” Chanyeol truly appreciates the topic change.

“I want to feel safe when I rest my head against his chest.”

What?

What is that?

Who says that right after they had their head on someone’s chest?

Yet Jongin appears to be unbothered. Completely unbothered while Chanyeol has to deal with the mess in his head those words set off.

~

They have been in the club for three and a half hours.

So far, Jongin has talked to six guys. All of them fairly good-looking. Out of those six, he has let four of them buy him drinks. And out of those four, he has danced with three.

The first one was supposedly too into himself, so Jongin didn’t give him his number. The other one suggested that they could later go to his place and when Jongin said that he felt that was too fast, the guy looked at him like he grew another head, so Jongin left the dance floor and tried to avoid running into him after that.

And now he is dancing with the third one. In Chanyeol’s opinion, this one looks the most promising. He was taller than Jongin and really handsome. He started by approaching Jongin in a very nice manner, asking him if he would like to get a drink. As Chanyeol observed them (not too much of course, that would be creepy), he noticed that the guy made Jongin laugh several times, kept short yet not too short distance between them, and seemed to genuinely listen when Jongin was talking.

Now, Chanyeol doesn’t really want to, but he can’t help but steal a glance at them while they are dancing. And they look perfect together. Like fucking perfect. It is almost sickening.

He downs his drink and leaves his spot to go buy another one.

Should he try to find someone for himself as well at this point? Because he can’t imagine leaving alone if this thing actually works out for Jongin.

And it’s not like he’s jealous…

Well, okay, he is, but he doesn’t want to stop Jongin from being happy just because there are some confusing feelings he has whenever he looks at him. It wouldn’t be fair.

So, as he is ordering his drink, he takes a cursory look around.

He immediately catches some guy at the other end of the bar checking him out. He has that kind of intense expression which tells Chanyeol that he is definitely thinking about ripping his clothes off.

And that nose ring? Hm, Chanyeol likes that.

He pays for his drink and turns around to go meet this guy but is immediately stopped by someone standing right in front of him.

“Jongin.”

“Hi.”

“Did something happen?”

“No. Why?”

“Well, you were dancing with that guy…”

“Yeah, I wasn’t really into it.”

“You weren’t?”

“Uh-huh. Do you want to head out?”

“Sure. But…”

Chanyeol looks down at his fresh drink. Before he can continue saying anything, Jongin smirks, takes the glass out of Chanyeol’s head, and drinks about half of it.

“Your turn,” he then says while handing him the glass back.

Chanyeol can’t really do anything but finish the rest and ignore the burning sensation in his throat. You are not supposed to drink whisky this fast.

“Great!” Jongin exclaims. “Now, I feel like eating some spicy ramyeon I bought today. Care to join me?”

Chanyeol is on the fence. He was really looking forward to hooking up with that nose ring guy. However, Jongin is looking at him with those bright eyes full of excitement, and Chanyeol knows he would hate himself if he chose to go fuck some guy instead of spending more time with Jongin.

“Sure, sounds perfect.”

~

Jongin’s place is everything Chanyeol expected it to be.

There’s limited space, but Jongin has truly made it his own. He has a big sofa with several fluffy pillows, a relatively wide TV and some game consoles, a small coffee table covered with sheets of paper, and lots of shelfs with books and pictures of his family, especially of his nephew and niece. The living room is then connected to a cramped kitchen where Jongin managed to fit a small kitchen table at which Chanyeol is sitting right now while watching Jongin cook some ramyeon for them.

It is so domestic. At least from Chanyeol’s point of view because he’s not used to things like that.

“Okay, I think we’re ready to go.”

“Great, I’m starving.”

Once Jongin puts the pot down on the table, they both attack it with the speed of light. They don’t even pause to talk as they shove the noodles into their mouths, and soon there is no ramyeon to speak of.

“That was the best idea ever.”

“I know, right?” Jongin laughs. “So, do you want to watch something?”

Huh. Chanyeol did not expect this. He thought he would leave once they ate. He had no idea Jongin would want him to stay longer.

“Okay. What do you have in mind?”

“How about Deadpool? I’ve wanted to rewatch it since you told me you dressed up as him for Halloween, and now it feels like a good time.”

Chanyeol chuckles. “Sure.”

As he gets up to move to the sofa, he notices Jongin rummaging through his cupboard. After a while, he pulls out a bag of shrimp chips. He then proceeds to take out some soju from the fridge and grab two shot classes.

Chanyeol simply watches him as he places all of those on the coffee table and only after that tries to put away all of the pieces of paper that were there before.

“Stop staring and make yourself comfortable,” Jongin reprimands him with a smile.

Chanyeol listens and sits down, and Jongin takes a seat right next to him and starts looking for the movie, which he has previously downloaded. Once he finds it and presses play, he opens the bag of chips and pours both of them some soju.

“To this amazing viewing experience,” he proposes a toast, which makes Chanyeol laugh and clink glasses with him.

Cue _Angel of the Morning_.

Now, Chanyeol has felt like he has gotten to known Jongin pretty well. And he still feels like it’s true. However, he has realized that there are some things he possibly couldn’t have known simply because there were no opportunities to discover them.

One of those is definitely the fact that while Jongin watches movies, he sits cross-legged, laughs at everything, and comments on every little detail that catches his attention.

And that surprises Chanyeol because that is usually his thing. So at first, he doesn’t know what to do, but he slowly adapts to it and starts chipping in with his own commentary and observations.

“I just have to see some pictures of you in that suit.”

“No, you don’t, trust me. Nobody looks good in it when it’s not in a movie.”

“That’s why I want to see it!” Jongin grins. “I want to see you look bad for once.”

“For once? Are you kidding me? I look bad all the time.”

“Sure you do,” Jongin rolls his eyes. “You don’t have to pretend to be humble, you know. It’s pretty obvious you are aware how good-looking you are.”

“Well, I mean, look at me,” Chanyeol points to his body and then draws a circle with his finger around his face. Jongin narrows his eyes and tries not to laugh. “But I do have some bad days.”

“Good. That makes you human.”

“True. But I remember you calling me a gay dream or something? What happened to that?”

Chanyeol enjoys how flustered Jongin immediately gets. There is already some red in his cheeks from that soju, but suddenly it seems even more bright.

“That… that was a simple observation,” he says as he runs his hand through his hair. “You shouldn’t get too full of yourself.”

“Too late for that.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Jongin glares at him a little bit.

As they continue to watch and laugh at the movie, Jongin casually leans his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder.

And it should feel normal. Baekhyun and Minseok have leaned their heads on him so many times before. It is a common gesture between two friends. Yet now, the energy and atmosphere around it seem to be completely different. And Chanyeol is not sure whether he’s the only one who perceives it that way or not. But it might be worth the shot to find out.

“Why did you stop talking to that guy?”

“Like I said, I wasn’t really into it.”

Jongin now snuggles closer to Chanyeol. Is this his weird way of saying that there’s something more behind that?

“But why?”

“Because I kept thinking about what you said… that I should want to fuck the person. And when we were dancing, I didn’t feel anything.”

“But didn’t you say that was normal for you?”

“Yeah.”

“So?”

Chanyeol notices that Jongin is becoming very tense and wonders whether he should push more or let it be. Perhaps it’s really just him.

“So, I’ve recently had an experience where it was different.” Oh. Could that be? “And at that time, I didn’t think much of it, but then I remembered it today and it felt like it didn’t make any sense to talk to someone if there was not the same feeling as there’d been that time.”

“Okay, then you should go find that person from before.”

Jongin suddenly pulls away from Chanyeol, turns to him, and gives him a piercing look.

“Are you being dumb right now, or are you deliberately trying to avoid it?”

Fuck. He was not just imagining it.

“I just… I wasn’t sure.”

“I see,” Jongin breathes out.

The air between them is heavy and even though the movie is still playing, the room feels awfully quiet. One of them should do something, say something, but they stay still. Not moving, not saying anything.

“This is so embarrassing,” Jongin breaks the silence and covers his face with his hands.

“It’s not.” Chanyeol bites his lip. This is it. “I think of you the same way.”

“I know,” Jongin answers in a split second.

“You do?”

“I do. You didn’t exactly hide it well.”

“Yeah, I’m bad at that.”

What kind of lead-up is this? Chanyeol is fairly confident that they are going to have sex, but this is very unusual for him. Because it is so gradual and tentative. He is used to things being fast and impulsive, and this situation is making him question what exactly is going to happen.

“Do you really want to fuck me?” Jongin says in a husky voice.

Okay, now this is more Chanyeol’s speed.

“More than anything.”

There is no reason for him to restrain himself now.

And Jongin obviously feels the same because he suddenly appears sitting in Chanyeol’s lap, gazing straight into his eyes.

“Do it then. I want you to show me how much you want me.”

~

It is a blur.

And then there are these flashes.

Like taking off Jongin’s t-shirt and seeing his toned body.

Planting kisses along Jongin’s spine.

Jongin’s moans.

More moans.

Jongin calling his name.

 _Chanyeol_.

Jongin being completely ruined under him.

Jongin coming.

Coming.

 _Chanyeol_.

And then nothing.

~

Chanyeol wakes up on Jongin’s giant bed to Jongin studying his sleepy face.

“Why are you watching me?” he asks, his voice hoarse.

Jongin smirks. “Because you look funny when you sleep.”

Chanyeol lets out a deep groan and rolls over on his other side. This is definitely not the morning-after-sex conversation he is used to.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” Jongin laughs and grabs Chanyeol to turn him on his back.

Once he succeeds, he plops down on his chest and rests his head there, making Chanyeol let out another groan.

“I really like your chest, by the way,” he whispers.

“You do?”

Good, Chanyeol has worked on it a lot.

“Yeah, it’s super comfortable.”

Oh.

Chanyeol should have probably expected this. Jongin is used to the boyfriend experience and being all cuddly and cute is normal for him. And while Chanyeol likes it in a way, some part of him sees it as a signal to run away as quickly as possible.

But perhaps a simple shift in the conversation will suffice.

“Last night was fun.”

He then starts running his hand along Jongin’s back because of two reasons. One, he wants to make the atmosphere more sexual. And two, he simply loves Jongin’s skin.

“It was.”

“I love making you come.”

Jongin hums against Chanyeol’s chest. It tickles.

“I think I’m getting hard just thinking about the sounds you make when you come.”

“You are?”

Jongin sounds definitely surprised. It’s like no one has ever showed him how sexy he actually is. Like no one has ever fucked him with the right amount of urgency until Chanyeol.

“Sure I am. You make me so hard it’s crazy.”

Jongin’s eyes tell him that those words are enough. Enough to get what Chanyeol is craving for. Enough to disrupt the familiar, domestic atmosphere around them and to make Jongin want him.

So, satisfied with the outcome, Chanyeol just closes his eyes as he feels Jongin’s hand going under the sheets.

~

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay for breakfast?” Jongin pauses. “Well, lunch now, I guess.”

“No, thanks, I should head home.”

Chanyeol zips up his pants and starts looking for his shirt. They definitely did not hold back last night, their clothes are scattered all over the place.

But since the room is so small, it is fortunately not that hard to find that one item he wants.

“It’s going to be awkward between us now, right?”

“I don’t see a reason why it should be.”

Chanyeol is lying. It definitely will be. Sex makes everything awkward. But Chanyeol does not want to hurt Jongin by telling him the truth.

“Don’t lie to me,” Jongin says, but he does not sound upset at all. “I know you’ve got what you wanted, so you probably won’t know how to act around me now.”

“Come on, that’s not true.” Well, not entirely.

“So, you didn’t want to fuck me from the beginning?”

“I did.” Damn. Jongin knew about it the whole time. “But you also became my friend.”

That seems to convince Jongin at least a little bit. “Same here. And as I said before, I do like your kind.”

Chanyeol looks at him. Jongin is sitting there on his bed, still naked, wrapped in his blanket, and his expression is unreadable. There is even something guarded about it, which is difficult to describe.

And Chanyeol wonders if he should try to make him elaborate that more. He decides against it in the end. Because it scares him. While his own feelings are something a bit more complicated and go beyond the physical, he’s not sure how he would react if Jongin felt the same. He’s worried he would do something stupid and end up ruining everything.

“I know. I like yours too.”

~

It’s been more than two weeks. And Chanyeol wanted to try at first, he really did. He went to the coffee shop on Monday and talked to Jongin as if nothing had happened between them, but it was so awkward and uncomfortable that he ended up saying that he will probably be quite busy for some time, so he will stay in the office late and won’t be able to walk with Jongin after work. And Jongin, the sweetheart he is, didn’t call Chanyeol out on his bullshit even though he must have known it was a fake excuse. He only smiled and said that he understood.

Now, it might seem that this kind of thing has made Chanyeol’s life easier because he doesn’t have to be in weird, unpleasant situations. However, it is quite the opposite. First of all, he now has to drink the filth they have in their office instead of actual coffee because he can’t go to the coffee shop downstairs and also doesn’t want Jongin to see him as he goes out and buys coffee somewhere else.

And second of all, he has been avoiding his friends a lot because he worries that if they go out, Junmyeon will stick around with his friends (including Jongin) as per usual. He has realized though that it can’t continue much longer because they could get suspicious soon. And that is actually why he has agreed to meet them for a drink this evening. Despite completely hating the idea.

And he was right to hate it because of course his friends immediately start to question him once they sit down in a bar.

“I don’t get it, you’re the one who always says we should meet more often and you want to hang out like every other day, but for the last two weeks it’s like you’ve been avoiding us,” Minseok points out after they order their drinks.

“Exactly!” Baekhyun joins in. “If I didn’t work with you, you would probably ghost us.”

“That’s not true! I’ve just been busy.”

“Busy with what?” Baekhyun furrows his brows.

Damn. Why can’t everyone be like Jongin and just except that Chanyeol tells little white lies to avoid uncomfortable situations.

“Work, life, you know.”

“No, I don’t.” Baekhyun is seriously not the type to let things go. “I know for a fact that you’re not working on anything major right now. And what life?”

“Give him a break,” Minseok laughs. “The poor man must have had his reasons.”

“Thank you,” Chanyeol says sincerely. At least someone has got his back. “Anyway, how’s it going? Anything new I should know about?”

“Well, I’ve got some news,” Baekhyun responds. “But you would have known already if you hadn’t avoided me at work as well.”

“Oh, come on, it wasn’t like that.” Except it kind of was. “Anyway, tell me, what’s going on?”

Baekhyun eyes him for some time as if to decide if he should really tell him, but it is obvious he can’t hold it in much longer. “Okay. So… it looks like Jongdae is going to move in with me.”

“Wait, for real?” Chanyeol lights up. “That’s so great!”

“It is. We decided it really doesn’t make sense to pay for two apartments if we spend all of our time together.”

“That’s what I’ve been telling you!” Chanyeol exclaims. “Man, I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks,” Baekhyun gives him a quick hug. “And while we are on the topic of boyfriends, where’s Junmyeon? Are you meeting him later?”

Chanyeol immediately bites his lip. This is it. He will now find out how bad it is.

“Nope. They’re having a sleepover at Jongin’s tonight.”

“Oh, okay.”

Oh no. The name has officially been mentioned. This is bad. Like really bad. He tries not to let any emotion show on his face, but inside he’s absolutely panicking. Because all it takes is for one of his friends to remember that…

“Speaking of Jongin,” Baekhyun decides to continue, and Chanyeol literally wants to hide under the table right now. “How did it go when you two went out? Was it like two weeks ago or something?”

“You went out?” Minseok asks, obvious unaware of what went on.

“Not like that. They went chasing after guys,” Baekhyun fortunately answers for Chanyeol.

“I see,” Minseok hums. “How did it go? Any fun stories you have for us?”

Well, the fact that Chanyeol has no reservations about sharing his sex stories has finally caught up to him. And there is also another problem: he doesn’t know how to lie to his friends.

Sure, those small lies like telling them he’s busy and stuff are okay, he doesn’t enjoy lying like that, but he still does it. This though is something completely different. He can’t just make a story up to cover up what has actually happened.

“Why are you sweating so much?” Baekhyun suddenly interrupts Chanyeol’s thoughts by saying that and throwing a napkin at him.

“I am?”

“Yes. And your leg is shaking under the table so much that I can feel it even here on the opposite side,” Minseok adds.

“Sorry about that,” Chanyeol shakes his head in hopes to clear it a little bit. “I… uhm… I’m nervous to tell you that I… I did a thing.”

“You did a thing?” Baekhyun narrows his eyes and then it hits him. “Wait. _Who_ did you do?”

“Well, Jongin and I…”

“Jongin?”

“What? Are you fucking kidding me, Park Chanyeol?!”

“Why are you getting mad at him?” Minseok turns to Baekhyun, clearly confused.

“Because he’s an ass!” Baekhyun throws his arms in the air. “He told me that he doesn’t know how he exactly feels about Jongin, and now we find out that they slept together?!”

“And?” Minseok still doesn’t get it. “They are both adults.”

“Read between the lines, Minseok! Why wouldn’t Chanyeol tell us about it right away? And why do you think he has been avoiding us? He obviously slept with him, prioritizing his libido instead of his feelings, which he knows is wrong, and now he doesn’t know how to face him and how to face us because he’s aware we’ll tell him that he royally screwed up!”

While Minseok expressions suggests that he has finally fully understood all the implications of the situation, Chanyeol’s clearly says that he is extremely uncomfortable, mainly because everything Baekhyun said is correct. And that stinks.

“Okay, but still,” Minseok speaks up, breaking the awkward silence. “You shouldn’t get so mad. He obviously feels bad even without having you yell at him.”

“And he should feel bad! He’s finally…” Baekhyun pauses for a second to calm himself down a little bit. “He’s finally found someone he cares about and instead of pursuing that, he does the same shit he does all the time. Screwing him without thinking twice about it.”

“That’s his choice.”

“Well, and it’s my choice to want to see him happy. Sorry if that means I’m a bad friend.”

“Okay, stop arguing.” Chanyeol can’t listen to it anymore. “Minseok, thank you for defending me, but Baekhyun is right, I screwed up.” It’s time to admit that. “And not just once. Sure, we did have sex, but in the morning, it didn’t feel like a one-night stand. I could have gone with that, but I didn’t. I made it about sex again.” He sighs. “You see, I don’t know how to handle feelings. And while I think I like Jongin, I’m not ready for him to like me back. It would just be too much.”

It’s like weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Those feelings have been only with him for such a long time, pressing on him and pushing him down. However, as he has let go of them, expressed them, and shared them with his friends, it’s like they don’t have that much power over him anymore. Sure, they are still there, but it’s a bit easier to breathe now.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to be ready,” Baekhyun pats him on the back. “And sorry for raising my voice and for being so mean. I really do want you to be happy and it might make me go crazy from time to time.”

“I know, it’s okay, I know you mean well,” Chanyeol rests his head on Baekhyun’s shoulder.

“Wait, before we move on, I have to get one thing straight,” Minseok shakes his head. “Jongin likes you?”

“I think so.”

“You only think so?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure. Why?”

“Because,” Minseok pauses. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but I heard from Junmyeon like two days ago that Jongin and Taemin might be getting back together.”

“What?” Chanyeol immediately straightens up and slams his hands on the table. “That doesn’t make any sense! What exactly did he say?”

“Nothing much. That Jongin told him Taemin asked him to get back together and that Jongin is thinking about it. That’s it.”

“That’s bullshit!” Chanyeol yells out. “Sorry, but I have to go.”

“Wait, where?” Baekhyun quickly turns to him.

“Jongin’s apartment.” And with those words and without further explanation, Chanyeol leaves.

~

“Chanyeol? What are you doing here?”

There is Junmyeon standing in the door of Jongin’s apartment, wearing glasses and pyjamas and also a very confused expression. Why is he the one opening the door?

“Hi. I’m here to… can I talk to Jongin?”

“Oh. He’s on the phone right now in his room. But I can…”

“Chanyeol?”

And there is Jongin. Right behind Junmyeon. Also wearing pyjamas. But his seem to be almost too stretched-out and kind of childlike in comparison to Junmyeon’s silk pyjamas which look more like a suit than nightwear. It’s too damn cute, to be honest.

“Hi. Can we talk?”

“Talk about what?” Jongin doesn’t hesitate even for a second.

“About… well, about something I heard today.”

Jongin narrows his eyes. “Okay. And can’t it wait? As you can see, I have company.”

Junmyeon looks like he would really appreciate the power to become invisible right now.

“No, it can’t. But I promise it’ll just take a second and I’ll let you go back to enjoying your night.”

“Okay,” Jongin breathes out. He is definitely not thrilled by the idea, but who could blame him. “But of course only if Junmyeon does not mind.”

“I’m fine! Go ahead and talk.”

“Thanks,” Jongin gives Junmyeon a small smile. “Let’s talk in my bedroom.”

Chanyeol only nods and follows Jongin who heads straight into the room. It’s damn awkward, but this is what Chanyeol needs to do.

“Fine, so let’s talk,” Jongin folds his arms over his chest once Chanyeol closes the door behind them. It’s a clear defensive position.

“Okay,” Chanyeol says as he realizes he has not exactly thought this through. Damn it, he just needs to say it, without beating about the bush too much. “I heard about you and Taemin. That you might be getting back together.”

“How?” Judging from his perplexed expression, Jongin definitely did not expect this. “Wait. Stupid question. Minseok knows and he told you, right?”

Chanyeol responds by nodding.

“Of course. But what about it?”

“I don’t think you should do it.”

“Is that so.” Jongin lifts his eyes and tils back his head. Chanyeol is not sure if it’s because he can’t look at him or because he wants to stop himself from crying. “Why?”

“Because you said there was something missing between you two. A spark.”

“Well,” Jongin says in a very strained voice. “I’ve recently realized that it’s not just about the spark. Having someone who cares about you is much more important.”

“Shit, Jongin, don’t do this me!” Chanyeol basically wails. “I care about you! Don’t make it sound like I don’t.”

“Okay, let’s say that you care about me. Fine. But you still don’t want to be with me.”

“And that means that you should say yes to the first person who offers to be your boyfriend? Have some standards.”

Jongin rolls his eyes. “Standards? What do you know about having standards? You just fuck anything you want. You have no idea what it means to have standards.”

“Well, at least I have to find that person attractive. You don’t even need to have that.”

“So what? It’s more than just wanting to fuck someone. But you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you.” Jongin scoffs at Chanyeol. “And anyway, why do you care? Is it because it means you won’t be able to fuck me once you decide to talk to me again?”

“Of course not,” Chanyeol stammers a little bit. “Do you think that’s all you’re to me?”

“I didn’t use to… now I’m not so sure.”

It is so painful. But Chanyeol deserves it. He hurt Jongin and now he needs to feel some pain as well.

“Jongin, you’re so much more than that. I meant it when I said I care about you. That’s why I don’t want you to do something stupid. Something you’ll regret later. You deserve someone who can give you everything… the spark, the care, the love. Everything.”

There is a single tear flowing down Jongin’s cheek. Chanyeol watches its whole journey until it reaches Jongin’s jaw and falls down. And as soon as it does, it is followed by others.

“Someone,” Jongin whispers softly, his lips trembling. “Fine. Let me ask you this. We have the spark, I think we can agree on that. You say that you care about me. That’s two out of three.” He wipes off the tears with the sleeve of his pyjamas. “What about the love?”

“Jongin, don’t make me do this.” Chanyeol might start soon crying as well. “Please, don’t.”

“Okay. But, you see, this shows you that you can’t always have everything. And I’m fine with that.”

“You shouldn’t be! I promise you that you can have everything. And you will.”

Jongin lets out a hollow laugh. “What makes you so sure?”

“Honestly, the fact that I do like you. So I know for sure you can have it all.”

Jongin’s jaw drops. “Are you kidding me? You like me?”

“Yes, I do. But I don’t think I’m ready for it. It’s too much for me.”

“What?” Now Jongin just looks annoyed. “What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? Who else is supposed to know?!”

Chanyeol feels for Jongin’s exasperation, he really does. He’s kind of annoyed with himself as well if he’s being honest.

“Hold on. Does this mean you’re asking me to wait until you feel ready?”

“Not really. Because I’m not sure I’ll ever be.”

“I see,” Jongin rubs his temples. “Just to recap though. You like me, but you are not sure if you’ll ever be ready to date me. And at the same time, you definitely don’t want me to date Taemin.” Sure, it sounds kind of crazy if you say it like that. “I don’t… I just don’t understand, Chanyeol. What do you want me to do?”

“Nothing,” Chanyeol shrugs. “Well, that’s not entirely true. I want you to make good decisions. Decisions that will make you happy. And I know for a fact getting back together with Taemin is not something that will do that.”

“That settles it then.”

“What does it settle?”

“If you want me to make a decision that will help me be happy, I’ll do it. But you can’t complain about it afterwards.”

~

When Jongin and Chanyeol leave the room, Junmyeon looks up at them from his position on Jongin’s sofa and he also takes out his headphones he has been using to give the two of them more privacy.

“Did you have a good talk?”

Jongin nods enthusiastically and then turns to look at Chanyeol with his bright eyes. “We did.”

“Good,” Junmyeon hums. “So, what should I text my boyfriend who’s been spamming me with hundreds of messages a minute since you got here?”

“To mind his own business?” Chanyeol chuckles. “Tell him that he and Baekhyun don’t need to worry. We’ve figured out something that will work for us, and that is all that matters.”

That’s right. No labels. No official dates. No verbal expressions of feelings. No commitment. No promises. Just the two of them spending time together, enjoying each other’s company. Easy, simple. And if at any point any of them feels that they want to change something, they’ll just say so. That’s it. Those are the basic rules they have come up with.

And while Chanyeol is still a little bit uncomfortable and he’s not sure how long this can last, he’s so glad that Jongin has decided to go for it and pursue the thing that will make him happy. Chanyeol just can’t believe it’s him.

~

Chanyeol wakes up on Jongin’s giant bed to Jongin studying his sleepy face.

“You need to stop doing that,” he whines, his voice hoarse.

Jongin smirks. “I can’t help it. Your sleeping face is just the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.” He then proceeds to plop down on Chanyeol’s chest and rest his head there, which makes Chanyeol let out a groan. “I don’t want to get up.”

“Me neither. I think I pulled a muscle last night because of you, by the way. You wanted me to go too hard.”

“Too hard? I only asked you to stretch before I could teach you the pirouette.” Jongin rolls his eyes. “It’s not my fault that you are way into bodybuilding, and you don’t care about general flexibility.”

“Hey, I’m flexible!” Chanyeol exclaims, obviously offended. “Just not that kind of flexible. And also, I’ve never heard you complain about my abs before. Quite the opposite actually.”

“Well, what can I say, I’m just a man,” Jongin says as he runs his hand across Chanyeol’s six pack. And as a response, Chanyeol laughs and kisses the top of Jongin’s head.

Yes. It’s domestic. It’s familiar. Jongin is all cuddly and cute. Total boyfriend experience. This time however, Chanyeol does not mind. It does not make him want to run away. No. He enjoys it. Sure, he also feels like spreading Jongin under him, preparing him while showering him with thousands of kisses, and then slipping right into him and fucking him good. But it is definitely not only about that.

“Hey, there’s something I wanted to ask you.” Jongin hums to let Chanyeol know that he is listening. “My sister wants me to have dinner with her and her husband, and I was wondering if you would like to join us.”

“That sounds nice,” Jongin whispers. He then starts drawing some patters with his finger on Chanyeol’s chest, which is his nervous habit. “But do you realize that is a very relationship thing to do?”

“Well, yeah,” Chanyeol shrugs. “That’s kind of the point actually.”

Jongin immediately springs up on the bed and looks down at Chanyeol, who is simply lying there as if he just said the most normal thing ever. “Park Chanyeol, don’t you dare joke about this.”

“I’m not joking,” Chanyeol sits up as well and he leans in to kiss Jongin on the cheek. “I’m serious. And I want to show you how serious I am by introducing you to my family.”

“That’s… I…”

“I love you too.”

And yes, he does. He really, really does.


End file.
